Version 8.2 Upgrades and Enhancements

See also: Version 8.2 Platform Release Notes Release Notes for all versions Doc Notes for documentation changes

1 In Progress for Version 9.0 (Summer, 2012)

1.1 For Developers

1.1.1 Parsing Functions for JSON, XML, and HTML

Code running in the platform can use these functions to extract data from formatted source.

2 In Progress for Version 8.5 (Spring, 2012)

2.1 For Designers

2.1.1 Formulas in Formulas

Use formula fields in other formulas to create chains of calculations.

2.1.2 Generating Multiple Word or PowerPoint Documents

Use Word or PowerPoint Print Templates to create documents for multiple records at one time. To prepare a batch of invoices for printing, for example.

2.2 For Developers

2.2.1 REST API for Object Indexes

Use the new Index resource to manage object indexes programmatically.

3 Version 8.2.4

3.1 For Users

3.1.1 Word and PowerPoint Print Templates

Microsoft Word and PowerPoint can now be used to create Print Templates, allowing for more sophisticated formatting.

Learn more: Print Templates

3.1.2 Private Relay Groups, as well as public

Now, a Relay group can optionally be private (visible only to its members), as well as public (visible to all, by default).

Learn more: Relay Groups

3.1.3 Relay Can be Restricted to Team Hierarchy

By default, a user can see and follow all other users. But with this new option, the people a user can see and follow can be restricted to members of the teams the user belongs to (and subteams, or "child teams", of those teams).

Learn more: Relay Feed Settings

3.1.4 More Options for Charts

• Default labels are larger and darker, so they can be read more easily.
• You can change the font size and style of the labels in Bar, Line, and Area charts.
• A minimum value can now be specified for the Y-axis.

Learn more: Advanced Options for Charts

3.1.5 Task and Campaign Callback Widgets Display More Information When Possible

When more display space is available for Task and Campaign Callback widgets, they now display more information.

Learn more: Widget_Tools

3.2 For Designers

3.2.1 A Form that is Changed to Mobile is Automatically Reformatted

When you clone a Form and change its type-designation to "mobile", the fields in the form automatically rearranged into the fixed, two column mobile format.

3.2.2 Create New Records in a Data Policy Action

You have always had the ability to update records in a Data Policy action. Now you can also add new records to an object.

Learn more: About Data Policy Actions

3.2.3 Lookups Can be Customized for the Current User

For a Lookup field, you specify criteria that lists records for a user to choose from. The criteria you specify can now employ a variety of template variables that contain information for the current user, so you can customize the list for that user.

Learn more: User-specific Template Variables in Lookups

3.2.4 AutoCopy Fields Supported for Mobile Forms

Mobile Forms now support AutoCopy of data from a Lookup target record to the current record. (Previously, that option was available only in the standard UI.)

Learn more: AutoCopy of Field Data

3.2.5 Nested Loops in Print Templates

In a Print Template, #foreach instructions can now be nested inside one another. So if the outer loop is processing Orders related to a Customer, for example, then an inner loop can process OrderItems for each Order.

Learn more: Processing Related Records a Loop, in a Print Template

3.3 For Developers

3.3.1 New Parameters Make it Possible to Write Robust Data Policies

Several new parameters make it possible to reuse a data policy in multiple contexts, so you only have to write the logic once.

Learn more: Incoming Parameters to Data Policies

3.3.2 Update Related Records in a Data Policy

When updating a record in a Data Policy, it is now possible to update fields in Lookup target records, as well.

Learn more: Updating a Field in a Related Record during a Data Policy "Update_Record" Action

3.3.3 REST API supports AutoCopy feature of Lookup Fields

The ability to AutoCopy Data from a Lookup target record to the current record is now supported in REST APIs.

Learn more: Lookup Payload Example for the REST field Resource

3.3.4 Enhanced Relay APIs

• New Relay APIs let you programmatically vote "like" for a posted message, and find its fans (get a list of users who liked it).
• The API that gets a posted message now returns an additional value, likedByLoggedInUser.

Learn more: REST social feed Resource

3.3.5 Name Changes for ID Fields in Relay APIs

The names and accessor methods have changed for several ID fields in Relay.

Resource / Element *	Old Name	New Name
social/group Resource	id	groupId
socialDocument Element	id	socialDocumentId
socialRecord Element	id	socialRecordId
socialUser Element	id	socialUserId

* A resource has a URL of it's own. An element is generally accessed using an identifier in the payload of a shared resource.